Thomas Ferguson (academic)
| Thomas Ferguson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1949 |
| Fields | Political science |
| Institutions | University of Massachusetts Boston, MIT, University of Texas, Austin |
| Alma mater | Princeton University (Ph.D.) |
| Known for | Investment theory of party competition |
| Influences | Adam Ferguson[1] |
Thomas Ferguson (born 1949) is an American political scientist and author who studies and writes on politics and economics, often within a historical perspective. He is a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston and a member of the advisory board for the Institute for New Economic Thinking. He obtained his Ph.D. from Princeton University. A contributing editor for The Nation and a contributing writer to The Huffington Post, he is a frequent guest and economic commentator on numerous radio and television programs. He is known for his investment theory of party competition.
MIT controversy
According to Noam Chomsky, Thomas Ferguson was warned while at MIT that his research might get him denied tenure at the Political Science Department. In Chomsky's account, Ferguson was told “If you ever want to get tenure in this department, keep away from anything after the New Deal; you can write all of your radical stuff up to the New Deal, but if you try and do it for the post-New Deal period, you're never going to get tenure in this department." Although not explicitly mentioned, the research was ostensibly the investment theory of party competition.[2]
Selected works
Ferguson has written numerous scholarly articles, magazine pieces, and a number of books.
Scholarly
- "Betting on Hitler - The Value of Political Connections in Nazi Germany," Quarterly Journal of Economics, Feb. 2008
- "The American Wage Structure, 1920-1947," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 2004
- "Mixed-Asset Portfolio Composition with Long-Term Holding Periods and Uncertainty," Levy Economics Institute Working Paper No. 249, Sep. 1998
- “The Political Economy of Knowledge and the Changing Politics of the Philosophy of Science”. Telos 15 (Spring 1973). New York: Telos Press.
Popular press
- "Financial Regulation? Don't Get Your Hopes Up", Talking Points Memo, 2008-04-17
- "Bridge Loan to Nowhere?", The Nation, 2008-09-24
Books
- 1995. Golden Rule: The Investment Theory of Party Competition and the Logic of Money-Driven Politics
- 1986. Right Turn: The Decline of the Democrats and the Future of American Politics with co-author Joel Rogers.
- 1984. The Political Economy: Readings in the Politics and Economics of American Public Policy
References
- ↑ Review of Golden Rule in the The Independent Review
- ↑ Chomsky, Noam. "Understanding Power." Ed. Mitchell, Peter R. and John Schoeffel. New York: The New Press, 2002.
External links
- UMass Boston polisci profile
- UMass Boston public policy profile
- Thomas Ferguson's articles in The Nation.
- Thomas Ferguson's articles in Mother Jones.
- "Giant holes in new banking rules" Thomas Ferguson interview on The Real News, November 2009 (video and print transcript).
- "Obama should save banks not bankers" Thomas Ferguson interview on The Real News, March 2009 (video and print transcript).
- "Money and Power in the 2000 Elections" Thomas Ferguson interview on Democracy Now!, November 07, 2000 (audio and print transcript).
- INET Advisory Board.
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